Ledger-plate and knife-guard.



S. F. MARTIN. LEDGEB. PLATE AND KNIFE GUARD. APPLIOATION rum) umi'l, 1908.

904,547. Patented Nov.24, 1908.

llllllll ll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL F. MARTIN, OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO T. J. NOLAN, OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA.

LEDGER-PLATE AND KNIFE-GUARD.

Application filed January 7, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norman, in the county of Cleveland and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Ledger-Plate and Knife-Guard, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to ledger plates and knife guards and consists in the novel construction and arrangement of their parts as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a ledger plate and knife guard of peculiar configuration which is adapted to cooperate with the knives of a sickle bar in such man her as to reduce friction and facilitate th cutting operation.

The ledger plate is inserted in the knife slot of the bar and is provided with inclined cutting edges which in turn are provided with transversely disposed serrations.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional View of the guard with the ledger plate applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ledger plate, and Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the guard.

The knife guard l is provided with the blade slot 2, the floor of which is provided at the middle of its rear edge with a lug 3. The upper part of the guard and the floor of the guard is provided with a longitudinally curved edge to correspond with the curved edges of the ledger plate hereinafter described. The ledger plate 4: rests upon the floor of the slot 2 and is provided at its rear edge with a recess 5 which fits snugly about the lug 3. A rivet or other securing device 6 passes transversely through the plate 4 and the underlying portion of the guard 1. The plate 4 is provided with the longitudinally curved'side cutting edges 7 which are beveled toward the upper surface of the plate and provided with the transversely disposed serrations 8. The curved edges 7 of the plate lie between the upper and lower curved edges of the guard 1. As the blades of the knife reciprocate over the edges 7 of the plate 4. the straw of the grain is caught between the serrations 8 and is severed with less friction and drag than would occur if theserrations were not present; thus, the friction and draft of the apparatus is materially reduced and the strain on the arts is minimized. The curved edges 0 the guard 1 also cooperate with the knives in separating the stalks of-the grain to facilitate the cutting operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

A cutting device comprising a guard having a blade slot and concaved sides which define the upper and lower edges of the said slot, a ledger plate mounted upon the floor of said slot and having curved side edges which correspond substantially to the curvature of the upper and lower edges of the guard slot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL F. MARTIN. Witnesses E. M. MAPHIS, J. F. NORMAN. 

